The Bow factory developed a type of porcelain that was strengthened with animal bone ash, making it suitable for utilitarian tea and table wares. This allowed Bow to cater to a middle-class clientele and compete with the substantial amount of Chinese porcelain being imported into Europe. Decorative painting in underglaze blue was one of the cheapest forms of decoration as it could withstand the high firing temperature in the kiln and was therefore used to adorn a vast amount of tablewares in the 18th century. During its greatest period of commerciality the Bow factory operated on a vast scale, employing approximately 300 people by around 1760. This teapot is decorated with a plain pineapple moulded body, a fruit that symbolised hospitality and wealth in Georgian Britain.
